Julia Roberts names her favourite movies of all time
Julia Roberts has been a Hollywood mainstay since the late 1980s. After her breakout in Mystic Pizza, Roberts became cinema’s favoured romantic lead, emerging as the definition of an A-lister, taking on many iconic roles and contributing to a number of significant moments in ‘90s movie history.
It’s hard even to consider which role Roberts might be best known for. Playing Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman solidified her stardom. Going on to play the lead in Notting Hill, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Runaway Bride, Erin Brockovich and more, by the 2000s, Roberts was a major star with three Oscar nominations and one ‘Best Actress’ win under her belt.
In general, Roberts gravitates towards romantic comedy roles. Regularly playing a charming yet relatable lead, navigating love and life with charisma and empathy, her roles tend towards the sweet and wistful. It makes sense then that Roberts’ own favourite films lean towards the twee and lighthearted.
In conversation with Letterboxd, Roberts’ first favourite film is the French animated comedy The Triplets Of Belleville. Released in 2003, the film involves very little dialogue and focuses more on songs and animation. The movie was critically acclaimed for its unique animation style, and Roberts is counted among its cult fans. “The music. The animation. The movement,” Roberts says, “all of it is so fantastic.”
Roberts’ romantic streak emerges in her choice of the 1942 Irving Rapper drama Now, Voyager. Following a sheltered woman, as she ventures outside of her usual society and falls for a married man, Bette Davis’ role as Charlotte Vale is exactly the kind of character Roberts usually takes on.
A wildcard choice comes in the form of a cat and dog tale. Roberts picks out the 1986 Japanese comedy The Adventures of Milo and Otis. In the tale of an unlikely friendship between a cat and a dog on a family farm, Otis the dog ends up on a grand adventure trying to save Milo from danger. A sweet and wholesome pick, Roberts really seems to favour easy-watching choices.
Her choice of The Fall is the closest Roberts gets to anything suspenseful or scary. The 2006 Tarsem movie is an adventure fantasy film about an injured stunt actor escaping into a world of make-believe. Fantastical and vast, The Fall at its heart is a film about storytelling, appealing to the storyteller in Roberts.
Julia Roberts’ favourite movies:
- The Triplets Of Belleville (2003)
- Now, Voyager (1942)
- The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986)
- The Fall (2006)
